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Featured Collectors:
Steven and Mel Dianis of Dundee,
Illinois
Thank you, Mel and Steven, for sharing your story and your
collection with us.
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Our
collection of Ephraim Pottery started in 2003 from a small pinecone. It
was the #061 Northwoods
Pinecone Cabinet Vase given to us by our good friend Jim Peterson for
Christmas of that year. We could not stop admiring it, so we went to the
Ephraim web site to view the most current pieces. From the web site, we
learned about Dovetail Antiques, Ephraim’s
company store. We decided to make the trip north immediately.
When
we got to Dovetail, we were overwhelmed by the inventory. We ended up
bringing 8 pieces home that day. Now, when we make the trip to Dovetail
we try to set a limit of 2 pieces each. So far, we have never been able
to stick to our pledge. Many times, we have to ask John [John Mathews,
Dovetail’s proprietor] for assistance in narrowing down our choices.
Decisions! Decisions! Since then, our collection has grown to 61 pieces.
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Part
of Mel and Steven’s
Ephraim collection.
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What
attracted us to Ephraim was the hand-crafted styling and
glazes. Ephraim pottery truly captures the
spirit and the look of the pottery produced early in the 20th
century during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement. We live in a
1926 Sears Bungalow and have decorated our house with period Arts and
Crafts furniture, so Ephraim pottery is the perfect accent for the décor.
We
tended to favor the various shades of green glazes that Ephraim offers
because it
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mimics
the early pieces so well, but then Mel fell in love with the pumpkin color
after we purchased the #524
Pumpkin Patch. This became the inspiration piece for her scrapbook
room. Now, all of our pumpkin-colored pieces are displayed there. Also, we
have a couple of yellows or combination of green and yellow which are
displayed throughout the house. We also like the themes with leaves,
especially the gingko patterns. Mel has decided this will be the theme for
the living room.
This
past December we attended our first Holiday Pottery Fest. It was a great
experience for us to be able to meet and talk with the Ephraim staff as
well as having our pieces signed by the artist. It was gratifying to meet
other collectors who share the same passion for Ephraim pottery. We are
already looking forward to the next Holiday Pottery Fest to find future
additions for our collection, especially the experimental pieces.
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At the
pottery fest Mel was also able to share the scrapbook she created of our
pieces. Each piece is given a page that details the name of the piece, the
catalog number, the artist who created it, the number of pieces made and
if it’s retired or discontinued. This is a continuing work in progress
since we have been acquiring new pieces faster than Mel can complete
pages. She is hoping to get caught up over the winter months.
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Fellow collectors
enjoyed looking
at the special scrapbook Mel created
of her Ephraim collection. |
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Another photo for
her scrapbook?
Mel Dianis at the Holiday Pottery Fest, flanked by potters Ken Nekola and
Mary Pratt. |
It is
impossible to decide which one is our favorite piece. We love them all.
Each piece is special and unique. We have decided as long as we like it,
we will continue to add to our collection. Here’s hoping that the artists
at Ephraim Pottery stay inspired for many years to come! |
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